You're Cute
by tiramisuspice
Summary: Nice girls like her didn't just waltz into the detention room, demand a favour, and walk out unscathed.
1. You're Cute

**A/N: This is a Riley and The Rebel (AKA Brandon)** **one-shot as requested by a Guest who commented on Love and War. I've been wanting to write something like this for a long time, but I needed a little push and you definitely gave me that push! So thank you!  
**

 **Completely crack pairings ftw! Written because Riley is so cute. (And because I ship her with The Rebel SO HARD it's not even funny).  
**

 **Rated K+ for Kick Ass Gifts**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own GMW (and it's a good thing too haha because I am crack shipper trash...)  
**

* * *

Riley swallowed thickly and paced outside the detention room door, walking back and forth and trying to convince herself that what she was doing wasn't absolutely crazy. Nice girls like her didn't just waltz into the detention room, demand a favour, and walk out unscathed. They would grind her bones to make their bread!

"Just go in there Riley…" she muttered to herself emphatically, the clicking of her heels echoing down the empty hall. "All you have to do is go in there…"

A teacher came out of the bathroom across the hall, and Riley quickly pretended like she was staring passionately at the ad on the bulletin board. (An ad for a free clinic that provided treatment for STDs). She chuckled nervously, curling a lock of hair behind her ear as the teacher gave her a funny look.

"Okay, so that was embarrassing…"

She sighed and peeked into the window of the classroom door. The detention proctor wasn't in there and neither were any other students. It was only The Rebel, sitting in a desk in the class, looking bored out of his mind. And it was almost five. If she didn't hurry it up, he'd leave detention, and she would miss her chance. It wasn't like she had any classes with The Rebel either, and he hung out with the scary group of kids, so she wouldn't be able to just approach him in the middle of lunch. But a girl smoking in the bathroom had told her that if she wanted to get something done, he was the one to see.

And Riley needed to get this done.

"Alright Riley Matthews. You are strong and you are brave. You are courageous and by golly, you are a go-getter." She let out a deep breath and steeled her nerves. "Let's get this thing over with."

She barged in through the door with determination and walked right into the room with purpose, her gaze zoning in on the boy in detention. He watched nonchalantly as she approached, boredly twirling a pencil in between his fingers.

"You lost, Matthews?"

She took a deep breath.

"Okay so I know you're probably _really_ busy, but someone told me I needed to see you since I absolutely have a huge favour to ask because Maya's birthday is on Friday and I want to get her something really kick ass like a street sign and I was going to buy one from the flea market but it wouldn't be authentic—and Maya deserves authentic—but I don't want to steal one because it's against the law, but I heard that you had some kind of exchange service like an 'I scratch your back, you scratch mine' type of thing, and I was hoping you could help me and please steal one of the 'Hart Street' signs in Brooklyn by Friday, and I will be so grateful!"

Riley cut off abruptly, breathing heavily and just waiting for him to respond. He was watching her with a slightly raised eyebrow, his lip quirked up in a small amused smirk.

She clamped her mouth shut, suddenly feeling her confidence evaporate. The tips of her ears turned red. She felt embarrassed and a little timid and stupid. Why wasn't he saying anything?

"What?" she asked nervously.

"You're cute." he said simply, still watching her with the same look.

"Wh-what?" Riley stuttered, letting out a little anxious breath at the completely unexpected words.

And then he set his pencil down and stood up, languidly walking over to her with his hands in his pockets.

"D-did you hear a word I said?" she stammered, bravely refusing to back away despite the fact that her pulse was racing so fast she could hear her heart drumming in her ears.

"Yeah. I heard you."

She frowned, a little put off by his cool detachment. "S-so... what's your response?"

He stopped right in front of her, that look of amusement still on his features as he watched her. Her breath caught in her chest at his proximity. He was so close she could easily inhale the scent of his spicy cologne. She held his gaze, trying to appear fearless though she knew her heart was beating a mile a minute.

"Sure. I'll do it."

Riley released a sigh of relief so all-encompassing she almost collapsed in on herself.

"Phew…Well that's a relief…" she laughed and fake wiped sweat from her brow. "What's the price?"

"Go out with me."

She blinked rapidly up at him, a little slack jawed and completely confused.

"P-Pardon me?" she squeaked in confusion. "Why would you want to go out with me? I'm like the least interesting person in the world not to mention I get so nervous and then I start rambling. Kind of… like I'm… doing… now…"

She tapered off when his eyes trailed down to her lips. Riley let out a little gasp, and she nervously licked her lips when his gaze darkened.

"So is that a yes?" he asked lowly, meeting her eyes once again.

She nodded slowly, doe eyes wide and completely enraptured by his gaze.

"See you around Matthews."

He winked and then walked past her and out of the detention room.

Riley stood there stalk still, hands on her chest, cheeks completely flushed and her heart pounding.

What the heck had just happened?


	2. Freak Out

**A/N: Wow... This started out as something random, but I just could not help it. I've decided to continue this and make it into a short, 5ish-chaptered story.  
**

 **Ria: Thank you for your request and the suggestion! I did end up using the Riley and Maya scenes :)  
**

 **Thank you for the reviews everyone! I wasn't expecting anyone would to want to read it. :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own GMW (and it's a good thing too haha because I am crack shipper trash...)  
**

* * *

Maya hopped up on the bathroom sink, watching Riley nonchalantly as she scrubbed under her nails.

"So..." she said, "That street sign you got me for my birthday last week—which I love by the way. Where'd you buy it from?"

Riley glanced at Maya, "I didn't buy it…"

Maya rose a brow, "So you stole it."

"I didn't steal it either…" Riley quickly said, grabbing a couple paper towels and meticulously drying her hands to avoid Maya's shrewd gaze.

It wasn't a total lie, per se. She really hadn't stolen it.

"So you didn't buy it. But you also didn't steal it." Maya's eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Are you sensing some sort of discrepancy here too or am I just being crazy?"

Riley let out a small whimper, "Okay, so I kind of sort of made an exchange with The Rebel."

"Oh no…" Maya groaned, "You didn't agree to one of his stupid little return favours did you?"

"I mean..." Riley shrugged sheepishly, "It was either that, or I wouldn't have the perfect gift for you. And I needed that gift."

"What was the exchange? And do I need to call the police?"

"What? No! It's not anything like that…" Riley stood in front of Maya as her best friend helped fix her smudged makeup. "He asked me out…"

"He asked you out on a date?" Maya said incredulously, "When's the date?"

"Well, when he gave me the street sign, he told me to meet him at the corner of Bleecker Street tonight at eleven."

"So you've known about this date all weekend, and you decided not to tell me?"

"Maya I honestly thought he was just kidding. Why the heck would he want to go on a date with me in the first place? I thought by now he would have told me he was just kidding, and I could pretend like none of that ever happened because I have no idea what to do and I'm freaking out because he wants to go out tonight but it's a Tuesday night and I have a test tomorrow morning and I'm not allowed to go out on a school night, much less break curfew by over an hour but this is all very real and I can't just not go on the date because I made a deal and I'm scared I'm going to get ground into bread by his friends if I don't honour the agreement and I don't even know what to wear or what to do and Maya _please_ help me!"

By that point, Riley was gripping Maya's thighs anxiously, and Maya winced because her nails were like razor sharp claws digging into her skin. She grabbed Riley's face, patting her cheeks gently.

"Okay, Riley? Look at me. Look straight into my eyes okay? Right here."

Riley nodded, blinking owlishly and taking rapid, shallow breaths, trying to keep herself from hyperventilating.

"First of all: calm down. We are going to get through this _together,_ okay?"

Riley nodded rapidly.

"Now take a deep breath. A deep, deep breath."

She sucked in a huge gulp of air, cheeks puffing out as she stared at Maya.

"Gooooood girl…" Maya said, removing her hands from Riley's face. "Now let it out _slowly."_

Riley slowly released the breath, feeling herself start to relax. She took a few more long breaths, closing her eyes momentarily to cool down her racing mind.

"Have you calmed down?"

"I'm calm." Riley nodded. "So can you come over tonight? I really need your help."

Maya grimaced. "I can't come over. I'm hanging out with my mom tonight. But don't worry. I'm just a phone call away, so just call me when you start getting ready, okay pumpkin?"

"Okay…"

Maya hopped off of the counter. "We'll talk more about this tonight alright?"

Riley nodded, following Maya out of the restroom to head back to class. She felt better that Maya would be helping her every step of the way, but it still didn't change the fact that she was mentally having a freak out over this.

She had a date with The Rebel.

That night.

And she was _terrified._


	3. Trust

**A/N: Guys I am _not_ fashionable... Most of my outfits on a day to day consist of baggy sweats, tshirts, and flip flops. I show up to school in pajamas sometimes. (Sometimes I don't even wear deodorant but that's a story for another day ahahaha). So if Riley's outfit seems wack, blame my ignorance in all things fashion and looking cute.  
**

 **Thank you for the reviews everyone! You all are so sweet! :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own GMW (and it's a good thing too haha because I am crack shipper trash...)  
**

* * *

"Alright mom and dad! I'm going to bed! Goodnight!"

Riley had her head out of her bedroom door, her hands cupped around her mouth.

"Goodnight, sweetie!" Topanga called back from the living room.

Sighing, Riley closed her door and cut her main lights off, turning on the lamp beside her bed in order to see. It was just about a half hour til, so she had a little bit of time before she had to get to Bleecker Street. She couldn't believe she was really about to sneak out just to go on a date with The Rebel. A date she knew she was terrified of, but still, a date nonetheless.

She dialed her first speed dial number and waited as the call rang, nervously twiddling her thumbs.

"C'mon Maya… Please pick up the phone…"

And then the call went through, and she could hear Katy's laughter in the background.

 _"Alright Riley. Open up your closet."_ Maya said, cutting to the chase.

"Right."

Riley opened it up and peered inside at the meticulously folded jeans and neatly aligned shoes and shirts and sweaters and vests hung by colour coordination and by length of sleeve. She turned and faced her bed, where she had already thrown out tons of clothes from her open dressers in halfhearted attempts to put a good ensemble together. She didn't even know where to begin.

"Maaaayaaaa…" Riley whimpered, slumping on her bed. "I don't know what to pick."

 _"Riley? You're going to be okay."_ Maya sounded slightly exasperated on the phone. _"So here's what we're going to do. I'm going to explain something to you, okay? You ready?"_

"Yes. Explain away."

 _"Now this is a first date. So what you wear will determine what the guy will perceive what you perceive the date as. You dress to kill either way, right? But how you dress to kill will determine the outcome at the end of the night."_

It sounded like Maya was speaking a whole other language entirely, and Riley frowned, letting out a slow breath.

"I-I don't understand."

 _"Let's put it this way: if you show too much cleavage, he'll probably think you're trying to go for the hook up on the first date thing. And you don't want that."_

"Right. I don't."

 _"You want to dress to impress, but you need to stay true to yourself."_ She said, _"Where is he taking you?"_

"He didn't say…" Riley said, chewing her lip in worry, "Is that going to be a huge problem?"

 _"Nope. We're still fine."_

"So what do I wear?"

 _"We're gonna go for cute with a little bit of sass."_ Riley could hear the volume of a game in the background decreasing as Maya walked away from the source of the noise. _"Crop top. High waisted jeans. Trust me. It works for any late night date. And it'll work for a date with The Rebel."_

"Okay. I like the sound of that." Riley said, grinning goofily.

 _"Good. And I know exactly what would work. You know that black floral crop top you never gave back to me?"_

"What?" Riley scoffed, "I definitely gave it back–"

 _"It's in your left top drawer on top of your bras."_

Riley's eyes widened in surprise as she checked inside the aforementioned drawer and found the shirt innocuously resting inside.

"…How do you do that?" Riley muttered under her breath.

 _"Wear that shirt. Match it with those faded high-waisted jeans of yours. The ones with that one tear on the knee."_

"But there's a tear on the knee!" Riley said emphatically, "I can't wear that out in public."

 _"Exactly."_

"Ooooooh…" Riley said, "I get it."

 _"You still got those tan ankle boots in your closet?"_

Riley rummaged around on the floor, searching for them towards the back. She found them behind her box of china dolls she used to collect.

"Yes, they're still here."

 _"Great. Now put it on. You've got fifteen minutes."_

Riley obliged, yanking off her night dress and putting on the clothes for the date, her trepidation growing with each passing second. She was seriously about to sneak out to go on a date. With The Rebel no less!

 _"Riley, I can hear your thoughts all the way through the phone. You need to relax okay? He's going to know you're super stiff and uncomfortable."_

"But I am uncomfortable!" she hissed through the phone in the way that people did when they were trying to be heard, but speak softly, "I'm about to go on a date with The Rebel of all people. I mean he's the Rebel Maya. _The_ _Rebel_! And I'm the exact opposite of a rebel! I don't get it at all! Why would he want to date me?"

 _"Because you're cute and you're sunny and you're quirky and you're funny Riley. You make the lives of everyone who meets you better. Why wouldn't anyone want to go out with you?"_

"Because I'm weird and I go off on tangents and I ramble and I'm clumsy?"

 _"You know those are actually pretty endearing traits on you."_

Riley sighed, smiling, "I'm sorry… I'm just freaking out over here…"

 _"I know you are. That's what I'm here for. To help you get that freak-out out of the way so you can enjoy this date."_

Riley checked herself in the full length mirror attached to her closet door, turning to and fro and making sure she looked ready.

"I feel weird… What am I supposed to say or do?"

 _"That? I can't help you with. But that's the easiest part. You just have to be you."_

"Thank you Maya… I don't know how I could do this without you."

 _"You don't have to. I'm just a call away, okay? If you need advice or someone to come kick his ass, I'll be right there."_

"Okay, checklist time." Riley said, walking over to her window bay and picking up her wallet.

 _"Got your ID?"_

"Check."

 _"Some cash for a taxi if you need it?"_

"Check."

 _"Metro card?"_

"Check."

 _"Keys in case you can't go back through your room?"_

"Check."

 _"Cellphone?"_

Riley looked around frantically when she realized she couldn't see it anywhere.

"Wait… where's my cellphone? Maya I think I lost my cellphone!"

 _"In your hand Riley…"_ Maya sighed.

"In my hand… Right…" Riley chuckled nervously, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "Check."

 _"Okay. Riley Number Two."_

"Got it."

Riley gathered her clothes off of her covers and arranged them underneath the comforter in a lopsided formation, like Maya had taught her all those years ago. She made sure it looked like an actual human body and not a lumpy sack of potatoes, and when she was satisfied with her work, she smiled triumphantly with her hands on her hips.

"Check."

 _"Alright. Lights off. And window check."_

Riley turned off her lamp light and then cut the light off in her closet, throwing her room into semi-darkness, illuminated only by the stars and moon in the night sky. She walked over to her window and pried it open, poking her head out and looking outside to make sure none of her neighbours were enjoying the cool night air and having a smoke on the escape. If they saw her, they would tell her dad and then she would be cooked and fried like an egg and then served on a whole wheat English muffin with Hollandaise.

 _"All clear?"_

"Check."

 _"You have eight minutes to get there. You think you'll be okay?"_

"I-I think so. It's just a date. It's not like I have to marry the guy…" And then Riley gasped dramatically, "I don't have to marry him do I?!"

 _"Now you're just being ridiculous, Riles."_

"You're right… Okay. I'm heading out now. I'm ready."

 _"Alrighty then. This is where I leave you. Good luck, pumpkin."_ Maya said softly, _"Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go beat my mom at Just Dance for once in my life…"_

Maya hung up and Riley tried not to think about how alone and scared she felt without Maya's constant voice in her ear telling her what to do. She wished she could just take Maya on the date with her, but she knew she had to do this herself. She had wanted a street sign. So now she had to reap the consequences of what she sowed.

So taking a deep breath and preparing herself, she climbed out of her window into the warm night air and crept down the fire escape to the sidewalk below. She walked through the streets, head held high amongst the bustling crowds of people, hoping they couldn't see the 'curfew breaker' sign sticking out of her head. But no one paid attention to the lone teen girl, all too busy with their own endeavors to be wondering why she was walking out on the street in the middle of night. Each step she took to her destination was less anxious than the last, and Riley felt herself relax somewhat. After all, she'd survived sneaking out of her home, how bad could this be?

She approached the corner of Bleecker Street, and saw The Rebel waiting for her, nonchalantly leaning against a streetlamp, chewing on a toothpick in his mouth.

"Now or never Riley…" she murmured encouragingly to herself.

She took a deep breath and then walked straight towards him, trying to keep her steps steady so she wouldn't have a tumble and land on her face.

"So where are we going?" she asked, once she was in front of him.

He smirked, taking the toothpick out and tossing it in a nearby bin.

"You'll see."

She chewed on her lower lip in worry.

"Okay… but I really shouldn't be out this late especially since I have a test tomorrow. And I don't think there are very many places that will be open for long so if you were planning on taking me to the movies or something, I think you should have picked an earlier time."

"I'll have you home by one, Matthews."

"Can I at least have a hint of where we're headed to?"

"Do you trust me?"

Riley was a little taken aback by his sudden question, and she held his stoic gaze, silently searching his eyes. She should have honestly been apprehensive or maybe uneasy, but she didn't feel that way at all. There was something about him that made her realize she actually _did_ trust him, as weird as it sounded. She barely knew the guy, and quite frankly, it wasn't a good idea for her to put her trust in someone who obviously had no qualms stealing city property, but she did.

"I trusted you to get the street sign for me by Friday. And you did." She replied honestly, "So I'll trust you again."

His silent regard of her subtly changed, and she could see the pleased smile in his eyes, even though his expression remained the same. Her cheeks flushed a little, and she averted her gaze, staring at her taupe boots shyly.

"Alright then." He said, turning around and walking further down the street. "Follow me."

Riley nodded and followed behind him, hoping so badly that she had made the right decision and that she wasn't about to walk into something absolutely crazy.


	4. Perceptions

**A/N: Why I ship Riley and Brandon: In my mind, Brandon is rebellious and an anarchist and probably has some very similar personality traits and qualities to _Maya,_ whom Riley balances out so well. So that's why I could definitely see Riley being attracted to him and them completing each other. H** **e's her opposite. And o** **pposites attract. (As seen already by Riley and Maya's incredibly strong/sturdy relationship).  
**

 **Just to answer a question someone asked, in case any of you were wondering: Riley _does_ know The Rebel's name. She just chooses to see him as _The Rebel_. **

**Thank you for the reviews everyone! I really appreciate each one! :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own GMW (and it's a good thing too haha because I am crack shipper trash...)  
**

* * *

Riley followed The Rebel to a more grungy side of town, walking through street after street towards an area close to where Riley knew Maya lived. She wanted to ask him where they were specifically going multiple times, but each time she did, she lost her nerve and remained silent. He had asked her to trust him, so she would, but she wouldn't be lying if she said she wasn't starting to get a lot apprehensive.

He finally stopped in front of a private lot with halted construction for the evening. There was one chain connected to the ends of a wooden fence. He ducked under the chain and turned to Riley with a raised brow when she stared at it skeptically.

"You coming?"

"There's a sign that clearly says No Trespassing." She pointed out.

He snorted, "Your point?"

"I don't think… we're supposed to trespass." She asserted, feeling a little scared now. She didn't want to break the rules. This was a request someone had made for them not to step into the private lot, but he had clearly just bulldozed over it.

"You're not going to get in trouble, Matthews. It's the middle of the night." He held up the chain with a raised brow, "So are you coming? Or do I have to take you home?"

Riley swallowed a little nervously, seriously contemplating walking under the chain. It wasn't that she wanted to break the rules and give into peer pressure—and she _wasn't_ —but she didn't particularly like something about his tone. It almost sounded like he was mocking her in a way, like she was some scared little girl he had to babysit. Like she had just proved his initial perceptions of her right.

And she didn't like it.

Riley followed rules the majority of the time, but it wasn't like she was the queen of Goody Goody Gum Drop Mountain. She could break the rules every once in a while too. Maya wasn't the only one who did some not okay things.

Looking around nervously, she made sure no one was watching her before scampering under the lifted portion of the chain, not realizing she had been holding her breath until she let it go once she was safely in the other side. She turned to The Rebel with a 'so there' expression on her face, and he smiled, a secretive little thing that made her feel like for the first time that night, he was actually _seeing_ her. It made her stomach flutter excitedly.

They walked through the abandoned lot, walking past trucks and piles of tools and dirt and debris and rubble until they approached some sort of bonfire party. And Riley took in a sharp breath.

This was the hangout of all the other rebel kids and scary people at school. They were a handful of them, drinking beers from cans and smoking and just standing around and chatting, some music Riley didn't recognize at all playing softly through a boom box. They had a bonfire going inside one of the metal cans and were laughing about something.

Riley suddenly grew frightened.

She wasn't supposed to be there. This wasn't her scene. What was she doing here?

She stopped walking, chewing on her lip nervously and scratching at her arm.

He sensed her hesitation and turned around.

"You good?"

"…I-I don't know if this is such a good idea…" she hesitated, "I-I think it would be best if I went home…"

He snorted derisively, and Riley's face erupted in an embarrassed blush.

"Are you mocking me?" she said indignantly, "There's nothing wrong with wanting to go home!"

"There isn't." he agreed, stooping down and opening a nearby cooler, pulling out a can of beer. "But you just need to relax a bit."

He stood up and cracked open the can of beer before facing her.

"Ever had a beer?"

Riley stared at it with pursed lips, a little more than apprehensive.

"Well… Maya did let me try a sip of hers at some party we went to once, but it was the nastiest stuff and it kind of tasted like urine, and I didn't want to try it again…"

That little smile was on his face again, and he placed it in her hands.

"Try this. This stuff isn't as cheap as what you probably had."

She stared at it skeptically. She'd already had a bad beer experience before, she honestly didn't want to experience it again. But part of her wanted to try it—maybe a little just to prove him wrong.

"You better be right…" she grumbled before taking a sip.

She wrinkled her nose for a second as the sharp taste of alcohol bit her tongue, expecting the aftershock of the thick bitterness of beer to come shortly after. But it never came. In fact, it was actually kind of… _sweet_. It honestly really wasn't that bad. Sure, it had that bitter beer kick, but there was this little hint of honey laced in the drink, and she found she wasn't as repulsed as she had originally assumed she would be. Pleasantly surprised, she took a couple even bigger sips of the drink.

And then he took it back from her carefully, an amused eyebrow raised at her zeal.

"Let's not get carried away Matthews." he said, with a wink, "It's a school night, remember?"

She licked her lips and blushed, because she felt a little ridiculous about overdoing it. But she felt a little rush of adrenaline at her tiny act of rebellion, and a small smile appeared on her face. She really didn't feel as weirded out by the fact that she was breaking so many rules anymore. It was actually kind of a little thrill.

He cocked his head in the direction of the bonfire group. "C'mon. They won't bite."

They walked into the circle of people, some of whom she'd never seen before, a couple she recognized from school. She wasn't nervous per se, but she would be lying if she said she didn't feel a little out of place. She was wearing floral and her clothes were what one would label as _cute_ , but most everyone in the circle was wearing leather, combat boots, mangled jeans, or a combination of them all.

"You guys know Matthews." The Rebel said, casually introducing her at the curious looks.

A guy she was pretty sure was a senior (who looked like Shaggy from Scooby Doo!) nodded at her, taking a sip of his beer. "Your dad's that history teacher right?"

She nodded.

"Respect. He's a cool dude."

"Uh… thank you."

"Hey I know you!" Another girl said, snapping her fingers, "You're friends with that awesome blonde artsy chick."

"Yeah. Maya." Riley smiled fondly. "She's my best friend."

"So what's your name, kid?" the girl beside her asked, blowing out a ring of smoke.

"I-I'm Riley Matthews… and I'm sort of terrified."

"You're adorable." The girl smiled, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, "Well Riley. I'm Justyn. This is Ace, Oscar, Van—or Vanessa, depending on how they feel—Ida, Malik, Sabine, and you know Brandon. We may be societal outcasts, but we're really just a group of people who refuse to compromise our individuality or personal opinions for anyone. There's nothing to be scared about."

"Sorry…" Riley said, feeling a blush rise on her cheeks, "I'm just not used to this scene…"

"Yeah, I can tell." Justyn said, smiling, "But you know, you're kind of a rebel yourself."

She blinked and looked at them in surprise. Everyone was nodding or _mmhmm_ ing in agreement.

"What?" Riley giggled a little incredulously. "You think _I'm_ a rebel?"

"In your own way, you kind of are. I've seen you around school. You follow all your beliefs without hesitation. You stop at nothing to make sure that you always stand up for what _you_ believe is right. You're strong-willed and straight forward. You refuse to follow a crowd if it means sacrificing your individuality."

Riley's eyes widened impossibly wide. They thought she was a rebel?

"You're practically one of us." Justyn grinned, "Wouldn't you say so, Brand?"

"It's why I brought you here." He said to Riley, taking a nonchalant sip of the beer, his eyes dancing in mirth, "Do you think we let just anyone come here?"

Riley stared at him, feeling her face slowly turning red. He had brought her to the rebel group's secret hangout on purpose? Because he felt she fit in with his group? She didn't know why, but the thought sent her heart on an immediate fast track to explosion with how quickly it was beating in her chest.

"Oh…" she finally responded, after several few moments, "Well… Th-thank you…"

"Awww!" Justyn squealed, almost squeezing the life out of Riley with a hug, "You really are just the cutest thing!"

They all continued talking for a while, chatting and laughing and getting to know each other better. Riley learned a lot about each of them, what they stood for, how they found each other, who they were. By the time the bonfire was just a few small cracking pieces of logs, Riley wasn't scared at all. In fact, she no longer saw them as an unreachable group of dangerous Rebels, but interesting, pretty nice, and cool people who all had their own stories to tell and lives they were trying to live. She used to avoid them because of her preconceived notions of who they were, but it was pretty amazing how all this time, they weren't so different from her afterall.

Oscar, who had left momentarily to take a whizz behind the pile of rocks, suddenly raced back.

"Hey y'all, someone called the fuzz! Cops are down the street! Party's busted! Let's move out!"

Riley gasped, all wide eyed and frightened, and she stared as everyone rushed to cut off the music, clean up the mess, and get the heck out of there. They dumped sand into the metal bin to stamp out the fire and dumped the rest of the beer onto the ground. Riley looked around, completely lost, as cacophony just brewed and the rest of the people ditched the group, running in different directions to escape getting caught by the police.

And then Brandon took her hand, tugging her in a direction to leave.

"C'mon."

She followed him as they ran out of the lot, scattering with everyone else, and she was frightened and very anxious, especially as they hopped the chain and raced down the sidewalks and the cop cars zoomed past them with their blue and red lights blinding her eyes and the sirens blaring in her ear drums, but she couldn't help but smile and laugh gleefully because she had never experienced this heart-pounding, stomach-violently-coiling rush of excitement ever before in her life. She felt an exhilaration like no other, and she was lighthearted and each step she took felt like she was bouncing on her toes.

She'd _never_ felt anything like that before.

And the strangest thing was:

She liked it.

A _lot_.


	5. Sparks

**A/N:** **I actually got the idea for a little part of this chapter from some random clip I saw of a show. I don't know what the show is though and I've been searching for it for forever! If anyone recognizes the scene by any chance and knows what show it's from, please let me know!**

 **Well folks, this is the last chapter of this story! Thank you for all your support and the reviews and favourites! I hope you enjoyed the ride!**

 **It's been fun :) Adieu mes chéries!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own GMW (and it's a good thing too haha because I am crack shipper trash...)  
**

* * *

Riley wasn't sure how many blocks they'd run or for how long they'd been running, but when they finally slowed to a walk, she noticed they were almost at the corner of Bleecker Street. And that meant they were almost at the end of this little date. Riley's face fell in slight disappointment. The evening had honestly been amazing. Her mind was still racing and her pulse was still buzzing with excitement, even though they'd long ado escaped the danger of being arrested. She didn't want the night to end at all.

They walked in silence, Riley staring at her shoes and mentally wishing that something could happen to slow the walk to the corner. But there was no such occurrence.

When they reached the corner, he finally addressed her.

"You have a good time?"

"…Yeah." Riley answered, feeling a little crestfallen.

"So why do you look disappointed?"

She let out a small sigh and then finally looked up, meeting his gaze and nervously tucking a lock of her wind-disheveled hair behind her ear.

"Well… I kind of don't want this date to end at all because it's like you just introduced me to this _amazing_ new world with cool people and rulebreakers and fun stuff like sneaking out and just being rebels and teenagers hanging out on private property and it was _exhilarating_ running from the police and I felt wild and out of control in such a great way and I know it's not really me, but I loved every second of it and I don't want to let that world go just yet because I'm scared if you leave I'll never experience it again…"

He watched her quietly through all her rambling, no particular expression on his face. And then Riley took a deep breath.

"Plus…" she bashfully looked at her hand, still clasped in his even though they were no longer running from the law. "We're at the corner and clearly this date is over, and I kind of was hoping you were going to kiss me but it seems like you aren't going to and I'm kind of upset because I… I, uh… I-I kind of wanted to be kissed."

She chewed on her lower lip, staring up hopefully at him, holding her breath because she knew she had all but asked him to kiss her. It was the most forward she'd ever really been with any guy in her life, and though she could feel the furious blush rising on her face, she held her head up proudly, sticking by her words despite his lack of response.

"Can you kiss me?" she asked seriously.

The expression in his gaze subtly changed as he watched her, and butterflies erupted in her stomach. Riley licked her lips nervously when he stepped closer to her, holding her anxious, but excited gaze. His hand cupped the back of her neck, and he leaned down, pressing his lips to hers. Goosebumps erupted down her arms from the feel of his lips on hers. Riley gasped, her breath catching from shock that he had actually gone through with her request.

All too soon, he pulled away with a soft chuckle, an eyebrow raised in mirth. "You ever kissed anyone before?"

"Uh…" she stammered, wide eyed and words temporarily lost, "W-well, there _was_ this one time two years ago when I kissed a guy, but I don't know if you could really count that as a real kiss because I kind of just puckered up and grabbed his face and planted one on him without really thinking about it and it ended superfast and…"

He gently put a finger to her lips with a soft ' _shhh'_ and Riley tapered off, blinking up at him, breathing coming out a little more harshly than before. Her pulse was skyrocketing at his proximity, and she found she couldn't tear her eyes away from his captivating gaze. Then he dragged his hand down to her chin, loosely grasping it.

"Relax your jaw." he said, tilting her chin up, "And just go with the flow."

Riley nodded and closed her eyes as he dipped down and caught her lips again. She was a little bit more ready this time, and kissed back more, parting her lips and letting her mouth move with his. She felt chills run down her back and heat climb up her neck, and she leaned further into him, grasping his upper arms to steady herself. It was like magic, and she was losing herself in the gentle kiss. But she was quickly finding she was losing her breath and couldn't get any air.

Riley broke away with a sharp intake of breath, trying to catch her breath.

"Better?" she asked, licking her lips. She could taste the beer from earlier that night on his lips.

He smirked in amusement. "Yeah. But breathe through your nose. You know, so you don't pass out."

"Right…"

And then Riley rose up on her tip toes, taking the lead and kissing him full on the mouth with no hesitation this time. He matched her enthusiasm, pulling her closer by the waist, smiling a bit against her mouth. Instinctively, she looped her arms around his neck.

It was kind of weird how much she was enjoying this kiss. Like really, _really_ enjoying it. It was making her feel so lighthearted and giddy and tingly all over and there was an unrecognizable sensation of _something_ rapidly bubbling up in her chest. If this was what a real kiss was supposed to feel like, then she never wanted it to end.

But he pulled away after a while, and Riley blinked up at him in confusion.

"Why'd you stop?" she asked, a little annoyed.

He gently removed her arms from his shoulders, setting them down by her side with a teasing half smile.

"It's one."

Riley frowned, momentarily dumbfounded by his comment and then she remembered his response to what she had told him at the beginning of their evening. ' _I'll have you home by one, Matthews.'_ She opened her mouth and then closed it and then opened it again, trying to think of what to say. She didn't particularly want him to leave yet. And she wanted to kiss him some more. She _liked_ kissing him.

"Y-you don't have to leave, you know." She stammered, not exactly sure where she was going with that statement. All she knew was she felt a little emboldened by the kiss and the words just seemed appropriate to her.

He searched her eyes for a second, his expression stoic and unmoved. Riley's breathing grew a little heavier at the intensity of his gaze, and she waited with baited breath for his response.

"You're not ready for that." he said, dismissing her comment.

Riley blushed hotly, flustered by his response. Did he think she was a child?

"How do you know?" she argued indignantly, a little peeved by his dismissal. "I could be ready."

"You're not." he repeated, though his gaze had softened somewhat. He looked impressed by her audacity.

They stood there in silence for a few beats, Riley pouting in disappointment. Then he let out a little chuckle and genuinely smiled.

"See you around, Matthews."

He gently chucked her under the chin and then walked away down the sidewalk with a salute.

Riley stood there for a moment, hands on her chest and heart battering uncontrollably in her ribs. She was completely floored and her heart was racing in a way she'd never felt in her life before. Sighing wistfully, she hurried back down the street to the fire escape of her apartment building and climbed it in a sort of trance, her thoughts only on the amazing kiss he'd given her. When she got to her window landing, she climbed in and hopped onto her bed in a daze, hugging her pillow to her chest and trying to calm herself down.

She couldn't get his face out of her mind. His attractive half-smile, the intense gaze that always made her feel like he could read everything in her mind, his soft lips…

Riley rolled over and let out a muffled squeal into her pillow, kicking her legs up and down and spazzing excitedly.

He had kissed her! More than once!

And it had been eye opening and extraordinary and she was still tingling all over and she just felt so excited and _electrified_. She didn't want the feeling to ever go away. Was this the sensation Maya would always talk about when she made out with people?

Riley pulled out her phone and hit speed dial one, absentmindedly touching her lips.

 _"What's wrong, Riley?"_

Came Maya's response as soon as she answered. Her voice was hoarse in that way voices were when one was roused prematurely from sleep.

"Were you asleep?"

 _"Well…"_ There was a yawn and then shuffling in the background. _"It's one in the morning. So, yes."_

"Sorry."

 _"It's fine. If you're calling me, you either need me to come or your date is over. Which one is it?"_

"The date ended…" Riley said softly, blushing when she remembered how his lips had felt on hers.

 _"You're blushing."_ Maya mumbled in amusement, her voice a little muffled. _"What happened?"_

"I-I am not blushing!"

 _"Yes you are, sweetie. I can hear it through the phone."_

"Seriously… how do you do that?" Riley muttered under her breath.

 _"So? How did it go? He didn't take you somewhere dangerous, did he?"_

"No… I actually had a really good time."

 _"That's good."_ Maya yawned again. _"So why are you blushing?"_

"…He kissed me." Riley said excitedly, biting her lower lip to keep her squeals at bay. "Like a real kiss. Three times. _Three_ times Maya!"

 _"Well congratulations. How were the kisses?"_

" _Amazing_ Maya. It felt like everything was suddenly brighter and there were rainbows and sparkles and unicorns dancing around us! It was like eating a perfect cupcake. I… I think I was switched on for the first time in my life…"

There was a beat of silence.

And then Maya started laughing hard, her snickers and snorts blasting Riley's eardrums.

"It's not funny!" Riley hissed through the phone. "It felt like something crazy was happening to my body. Is this what hormones feel like?! Have my hormones gone haywire?!"

 _"Sorry Mom!"_ Maya said away from the phone, _"It's just Riley. I'll go to bed soon, I promise."_

Maya snickered a little more, sounding like she was trying really hard to control her laughter.

 _"Oh Riley… Riley, Riley, Riley."_ she said warmly, _"You are too precious for this world. Never change okay?"_

"Maya, I'm serious!" she whined, face turning red, "I really want to kiss him again. Like really badly."

 _"Yeah… those are definitely hormones. Congratulations Riley. You've officially been activated."_

"Maya!" she said in exasperation.

Maya snorted before letting out a loud yawn. _"Honey, you're going to be okay. Just continue on with your life. Eventually it'll subside a little. This is all new to you, so that's why you're so… sparkly."_

"How long did it take for you for the sparkly to go away when you had your first real kiss?"

 _"A couple days maybe. Don't worry about it too much. It'll be on your mind for a while, but you'll be back to normal in no time."_

"Alright…"

 _"We'll talk some more about this when I'm coherent tomorrow. You'll be just fine, Riley."_

"Okay. Thanks Maya."

 _"Goodnight."_

Riley hung up the phone and then rolled onto her back, her pulse still thrumming wildly. She honestly hoped Maya was right about this subsiding in a couple days. Because she wasn't sure she would be able to hide her blush forever and her dad would _know_ something was up. And the last thing she wanted was for him to investigate the source of her giddiness and find out about her little rendezvous. And that she was kissed by a boy.

That was big no-no.

She honestly didn't know what she would do about her excitement until she calmed down. But one thing she did know was that she wanted to see Brandon again. Even though she had probably acted like a nut and made him want to run for the hills, Riley had never had so much fun on a date in her life (not that she went on a lot of dates or anything… but still). She had to find some way to see him again. If only there was some way that ensured she could get to spend some time with him...

And then a thought suddenly hit her and her lips curved into a devious grin.

Auggie's birthday would be coming up in a couple months.

Maybe she would ask Brandon for another favour…


	6. Bonus Chapter!

**Bonus Chapter! Because someone was looking forward to this scenario, and I couldn't leave it hanging.**

 **A/N: As for the sequel, I _do_ have one in mind and might get to writing it soon :) We'll see.**

 **Thanks for all the support for this story! I'm glad you guys enjoyed it! :D**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own GMW (and it's a good thing too haha because I am crack shipper trash...)  
**

* * *

Riley woke up for school groggily, stretching languidly before getting up to start getting ready for the day. She almost immediately touched her fingers to her lips, giggling quietly to herself. She still could feel the way his lips had felt pressed against hers as if it had happened seconds ago.

She climbed out of her bed to get ready for school, the entire time formulating and trying to solidify her plan to find some way to see Brandon again. All she had to do was make another exchange, and hopefully, he would ask her out again. It was definitely worth a shot.

Once finished dressing, Riley skipped out of the hall to the living room, a wide, goofy grin on her face and pale blush dotting her cheeks.

"Good morning Daddy." She chirped happily, kissing his cheek before setting herself at the table and putting some toast on her plate. "It's a lovely day, isn't it? The sun is buzzing, the birds are shining, the bees are singing!"

Cory eyed her in amusement. "Try again."

"Right." She giggled, "I meant the sun is singing, the birds are buzzing, the bees are shining!"

Cory nodded, chuckling to himself. "Okay, honey."

"Where's everyone else?" Riley asked, smearing some jam on her toast and then scooping some scrambled eggs onto her plate.

"Your mother is taking Auggie to a doctor's appointment early this morning."

She took a big chomp of her toast, humming in pleasure at the fruity taste. Today was going to be a great day.

"So…" Cory asked, peering over his cup of coffee at her with a slightly raised eyebrow. "Did you have fun last night?"

"I–" And then Riley stopped mid chew, glancing at her dad in alarm, wondering if she had heard him correctly. "What are you talking about?"

"You snuck out last night."

Riley swallowed down the toast with a bit of difficulty and tried to affect an air of nonchalance.

"What?" she laughed nervously. "Daddy, don't be silly! I was sleeping all night."

"Mmhmm..." He said with a blank look, "So explain why I have this?"

He lifted up the bubbly, flowery wallet he had in between his fingers. The bubbly, flowery wallet that belonged to _Riley._ Her eyebrows skipped in alarm. How did he have that? It should have been in her room.

"How did you–"

"End up with your wallet?" he said, somewhat sternly and somewhat in amusement, "Why just this early morning, a cop showed up at our house."

Riley's eyes widened immeasurably and her stomach dropped to her feet. She suddenly lost her appetite.

"And why was said cop at our house?" Cory continued, watching his daughter carefully, "Well last night, apparently, there were some people in a private lot. And when he investigated the area, he found _this_. A cute, flowery wallet with the ID of a young Riley Matthews who was supposed to be sleeping in her bed. And since there was an address on the ID, he brought it back to us."

The jig was up. There was no way she could avoid getting in trouble. Riley sighed dejectedly, picking at her scrambled eggs.

"Am I in trouble?"

"With the law? No. He decided to let it go."

Riley let out a relieved breath, smiling happily. "What a relief."

"It is, isn't it?" he said cryptically, "But with me though? Yes. Very much so."

She looked up and met the stern expression he was giving her. She bowed her head apologetically.

"Grounded?"

"Grounded."


End file.
